The online honey-hole for those who constantly eat, sleep & breathe the outdoors. We devote all free time to the woods & water, with our family & friends!
Instead of letting all of our past footage sit on our hard drives, being watched only by us, waiting for the next inevitable computer crash to put it at risk….we finally decided to do something useful with it! From that idea…..Outdoor-Devotion.com was born.
It is exactly what it sounds like…devotion to the outdoors. We are Michigan based outdoor enthusiasts, who primarily focus on bow hunting mature whitetails. Most of us have known each other for many years, and have an ongoing hunting dialog via email, that we now are putting online.
We hunt all over Michigan, and all over the Midwest as well. Nebraska, Missouri, Ohio, Colorado and Illinois, have all been a part of our past experiences. We try our best to film as much of our adventure as possible, to re-live another day during the off-season.
Not only do we hunt whitetails, we also find other ways to keep busy when deer season ends. Scouting for the next deer season, ice fishing, shed hunting, turkey hunting & walleye fishing are a few ways we like to stay sharp.
Follow along as we post up our season highlights, and feel free to send in your successes to be published along with ours!
Meet the crew
Jared Van Hees
Hometown: Brighton, MI
Occupation: Packaging Sales
Interests: Family, Bow Hunting, Archery, Fishing, Habitat Work & Boating
Fun Fact: Thinks Nickelback’s older music was hardcore.
“The day I passed Hunter’s Safety, I begged my Dad to take me duck hunting. We walked down to the Grand River in Grand Haven, MI and he told me to be ready. As we stalked up to the water’s edge….we jumped 3 mallards and I shot my first duck! Since then, the obsession has gotten worse each year.
College came along, where I scheduled my classes around bow season. This made for long Tuesdays & Thursdays on campus, but gave me lots of time to become the bow hunter I am today. I learned the basics of chasing mature bucks. Since then, my number 1 target is Mr. Big….but I still believe the trophy is in the eye of the beholder.
These days I find myself raising my twin girls when I’m not working. One day I will have two little hunting buddies, so raising them outside is important to me. When I do get free time, I am in the woods.”
Jesse Burnham
Hometown: Brighton, MI
Occupation: Electrical Sales
Interests: Bow Hunting, Hockey, Football, Guns, Snowmobiling & Harleys.
Fun Fact: Almost too good at singing Miranda Lambert songs in the truck!
“I grew up with the Huron River in my backyard and that’s where my passion for the outdoors started. I love to fish and at a young age my dad got me in the woods small game hunting. From there, meeting a great group of childhood friends, my love for the whitetail deer started. At age 14 I had my first bow kill and I was hooked! Since then I have not missed an opening day of bow or gun season with my friends and family. I live in SE Michigan and have an abundance of state land to hunt…. along with a few great lease properties. One goal of mine this season is to get a quality self-filmed hunt in the books, but most of all have fun with my hunting buddies!”
Casey Jordan
Hometown: Brighton, MI
Occupation: Relocation Services
Interests: Family, Fishing, Bow Hunting, Turkey Hunting and Archery.
Fun Fact: Is weirdly obsessed with Twilight movies!
Kyle Happley
Hometown: Brighton, MI
Occupation: Vinyl Systems
Interests: Family, Walleye & Bass Fishing, Archery, Turkey Hunting & Bow Hunting,
Fun Fact: Gets a little mad when you beat him at anything!
Matt Wade
Hometown: Grand Haven
Occupation: Public Works Streets Crew Leader
Interests: Family, Hunting, Fishing, Graphic Design and Wood Working.
Fun Fact: Has 6 back yard chickens.
“I have to thank my dad for getting me into the outdoors. I don’t have a specific memory of when it all started for me. There are so many good memories from as early as 5 or 6 years old to present day. My first wood duck, bass, pike speared, walleye caught off a Spring Lake dock, Pere Marquette brown trout, and bucks on the wall. My dad has been there for every one of them. He has taught me the ins and outs of hunting state land in Northern Michigan, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Went to GVSU to play football and study art and design. Hunting whitetails was always in the back of my mind and eventually took over most of my freetime. Bow hunting is my passion although I love every type of hunting and fishing.
Im lucky enough to have a wife who unfortunately doesn’t hunt but fully supports my hunting and fishing habits. We are looking forward to raising our daughter in the outdoors, and I look forward to the day she enjoys it as much as I do.”
Dustin Shrum
Hometown: Grand Haven
Occupation: Wire EDM Department Lead Manager
Interests: Family, Bow Hunting, Waterfowl Hunting & Fishing for just about everything.
Fun fact: I almost never get out fished.
“My true passion for the outdoors started in the family fish tank when I was 3. Now if I see a lake… I will wonder what I can catch in it. I can’t drive past a field without checking for deer or geese. It is a must to stop at little creeks and rivers just to look and see if I can spot some fish. It is a true addiction that I hope to pass on to my son as he gets older.
I’m very thankful to have a beautiful wife that puts up with this addiction year after year. I will say that much of the time I had to hunt and fish before starting a family, is now devoted to my wife and son. I still take some time to hit the woods, lakes, or river and will be doing much more as my son grows.”
Brian Sitka
Hometown: Brighton, MI
Occupation: Carpenter/Foreman Detroit, MI
Interests: Family, Bow Hunting, Walleye & Bass Fishing, Turkey Hunting, Snowmobiling
Fun Fact: My nickname is Limit for a reason
I was introduced to bow hunting in high school. I can say it fit like a glove. I got my first bow kill at 16 years old. My father grew up on our dairy farm in the upper peninsula of Michigan, hunting and fishing with my grandfather who was an amazing trapper. Every chance I got I was up there! Exploring what northern Michigan has to offer!
In December 2012 I was diagnosed with ocular melanoma in my right eye. Treatment was to have my right eye removed, with the support of my family and friends I was able to learn how to shoot left handed. Nothing was going to keep me from doing what I am passionate about. I feel most at home in the woods or on my bass boat on the lake. I thank God everyday for this life I have been given and I cherish the fact that I am still able to do what I love.
If I’m not in the woods or on the lake you can find me in Detroit rebuilding the Motor City!
Pat Cross
Hometown: Brighton, MI and currently reside in Howell, MI
Occupation: Commercial Insurance
Interests: Family, Bow Hunting, Fishing, Shed Hunting, Golf, and Traveling.
Fun Fact: My German Short-haired Pointer is trained to find sheds.
As early as I can remember, my family has always embraced the outdoor life style. I have cherished memories as a child going up to deer camp and camping with my Dad, Grandpa, Cousins, and Uncles. I have always found an excuse to be in the woods, no matter the season, whether it is hunting, searching for sheds, scouting, checking trail cameras, or golfing (I spend a fair amount of time in the woods on the course as well!). I truly love the outdoors, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Although hunting has always been in my life, it did not become an immediate obsession for me. It wasn’t until my mid-20’s, when my personal interest in hunting really sparked. From then till now, I have fully immersed myself in the outdoor lifestyle. The journey has been a constant learning of skills and hunting practices. Mostly self-taught, I have pored over articles, watched hunting shows, and conversed with other hunters. The education I seek is unwavering, continuous, and rewarding. Ever since that first sit in the early October woods, I was overcome with “bow fever”. I was hooked. Hunting mature whitetails, turkey and filling the freezer is now my true outdoor passion. This is the lifestyle I have embraced, and I have never looked back. I am truly blessed to have a supportive wife and great friends who put up with me disappearing into the woods for three months out of the year. Hunting has brought me many new friends, and I expect that growth to continue.
Tim Harrison
Hometown: Hartland, MI
Occupation: Heavy Equipment Operator
Interests: Family, Deer Hunting, Fishing, Archery and volunteer work with Operation Injured Soldiers
Fun Fact: known as “Uncle” Tim(the lucky one) by all of my nephew’s(Casey) buddies: Jared, Kyle and Brian
I started bow hunting at the age of thirteen on a family farm and this passion has continued to grow every year since. The past five years I have been blessed to hunt a farm in southern Ohio with my nephew and my great friend Ron, where we have had many great successes. I also enjoy walleye fishing in the Spring, guiding Spring turkey hunts, and also Fall deer hunts in the thumb of Michigan for Operation injured soldiers. This is a great organization that introduces the outdoors back into our veteran’s lives .
JORDAN HANKS
Hometown: Omega, IL
Occupation: Railroad Conductor
Interests: Family, Bow Hunting, Shed Hunting, Turkey Hunting & Food Plots
Fun Fact: Is insanely good at growing a beard.
Started hunting and working at a young age on our family farm. Would eventually take what I learned from both and combine them into my passion of raising and hunting mature Whitetails.